T20 Blast: Sanderson hat-trick seals Northants win

BBC News

06-06-2025

Ben Sanderson produced incredible figures of 6-8, including a hat-trick, as Northamptonshire made it four wins out of four in the T20 Blast by beating Worcestershire by 31 runs at New Road.Richard Vasconcelos hit 59 off 39 balls as they posted a total of 190-5 and after taking two wickets at the start of Worcestershire's reply, Sanderson claimed four in an over as the Steelbacks moved to the top of the North Group.Laurie Evans (62 not out off 26 balls) and Ollie Pope (53) provided the fireworks as Surrey defeated Kent Spitfires by 42 runs, while Kiran Carlson hit 93 off 57 balls as a six-wicket loss to Glamorgan left Essex with a 0-3 record in the South Group.Holders Gloucestershire also remain winless after being bowled out for only 119 against Hampshire, while Notts beat Derbyshire in a game interrupted by a power cut, and elsewhere there were victories for Somerset, Leicestershire and Birmingham Bears. Match scorecards
North group - Steelbacks extend 100% start
A second-wicket stand of 74 between Vasconcelos and captain David Willey (32) laid the foundation for a decent total of 109-5 by Northamptonshire, the trophy winners in 2013 and 2016.Vasconcelos hit a six and seven fours before Ravi Bopara contributed 36 off 30 balls, and when Worcestershire began their reply, Sanderson quickly nipped out Rapids skipper Brett D'Oliveira and Kashif Ali.The Rapids needed 33 off the final two overs, but Sanderson had Tom Hinley caught at deep mid-wicket from a full toss in the 19th and then dismissed Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Finch and Jacob Duffy with the final three balls of the over as they were all out for 159.Dwarshuis gave the seamer a straightforward return catch, Finch was caught at long-off, and Duffy edged to wicketkeeper Lewis McManus attempting to swing the ball to mid-wicket, as Sanderson became only the second Northants bowler after Andrew Hall to take six wickets in a T20 innings.
Yorkshire skipper Dawid Malan carried his bat through their innings against the Bears at Edgbaston, with three maximums in his unbeaten 69 off 48 balls, which led his side to 164-7 from their 20 overs.It was not enough, though, as Alex Davies and Tom Latham began the reply by adding 103 before Latham fell to the off-spin of Dom Bess for 44.Davies was caught off Matt Milnes (3-23) for 65, made off 45 balls, but Sam Hain's unbeaten 24 guided the home side to 168-4 and a six-wicket win - their first of the competition - from the final ball of the penultimate over.Notts Outlaws were 108-3 in the 13th over, having just lost Lyndon James for 43, chasing 163 against neighbours Derbyshire, when the floodlights went out in their game at Derby.When power was eventually restored in the area after an hour's delay, a revised target of 120 meant Notts had to score 12 off 15 balls, but they only needed 14 of them as they reached 120-3 to win by seven wickets via the DLS method.Earlier, Aneurin Donald launched five sixes in his 50 off 22 balls for the Falcons, but was then caught off Liam Patterson-White, and their innings ended on 162-9 after three wickets from successive balls, two for Dillon Pennington (3-40) and a run out. Captain Louis Kimber hit 51 off 27 balls and took 2-14 as Leicestershire Foxes came out on top by six runs against Durham at Grace Road.The Foxes made 193-8 and appeared to be cruising when the visitors were 94-6 in the 12th over, but Kasey Aldridge (44 not out) and Will Rhodes (43) added 91 in eight overs.They needed 13 off the final over but could only manage six of them as Rhodes was run out by Logan van Beek coming back for a second run.
South group - when is a hat-trick not a hat-trick?
As in Notts game, there was also a hat-trick - of sorts - at Canterbury where Surrey's Mitchell Santner dismissed Joe Denly and Tom Rogers at the end of the 13th over and produced the throw at the start of the next, bowled by Nathan Smith, to run out Zak Crawley for 46 attempting a second run.Crawley's dismissal effectively ended any hopes Kent had of chasing down a target of 194, and although Santner's actual hat-trick ball at the start of the 17th over did not result in a wicket, he finished with 3-28 as they came up short on 151-9. Earlier, Pope hit a 29-ball 50 as he and Dom Sibley put on 83 for Surrey's first wicket, but the visitors slumped to 126-5 before Evans - who was dropped on 15 - smashed four sixes in reaching his own half-century from nine balls fewer as he and Ollie Sykes added 54 to help them post a score of 193-7.At Sophia Gardens, Glamorgan all-rounder Ben Kellaway's versatility brought about the downfall of dangerous Michael Pepper for 60 as Essex totalled 183-8 from their 20 overs.Having been hit for two big leg-side sixes bowling right-arm as the Essex batter passed 50 off 27 balls, he switched to left-arm and had him caught at cover.Carlson led the run-chase in an opening stand of 91 with Will Smale, but missed out on a hundred when he was caught behind by Pepper off Paul Walter with just nine runs needed and Glamorgan reached 185-4 with an over to spare.An innings of 42 off 39 balls by Ollie Price was the only score of note for Gloucestershire, who were held in check by Hampshire's pace attack at the Utilita Bowl, headed by John Turner, who took 3-28.The visitors needed early wickets after posting such a below-par total but although James Vince went for 17, opener Toby Albert breezed to an unbeaten 73 off 44 balls, with four sixes and eight fours, as Hampshire reached 121-3 off 15 overs to win by seven wickets.Somerset made it three out of three with an ultimately comfortable seven-wicket win over Sussex Sharks at Hove, where the home side posted 166-8, thanks mainly to John Simpson's 58 off 42 balls, with Matt Henry taking 3-29.The visitors lost Will Smeed early, but two of their four Toms - Kohler-Cadmore and Lammonby - shared a stand of 89 in nine overs before the latter fell to Jack Carson for 35.Kohler-Cadmore continued to 64 off 43 balls and after he was bowled by Tymal Mills, Tom Abell and Thomas Rew finished the job, hitting a six each as they reached 169-3 with two overs in hand.
Saturday's fixture
Trent Bridge: Notts Outlaws v Worcestershire Rapids (19:00 BST)